Adjustable lamp housing



APril 16, 1963 v. GROVER 3,086,107

ADJUSTABLE LAMP HOUSING Filed June 16, 1959 United States Patent Ofiice 3,086,107 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 3,036,107 ADJUSTABLE LAMP HOUSING Lyndon V. Grover, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Color Tran Industries, Burbank, Calif., 21 copartnership Filed June 16, 1959, Ser. No. 820,714 6 Claims. (Cl. 240-52) This invention relates generally to lamp housings, and more specifically to a lamp support which is rotatably adjustable about its axis of illumination.

Although the principles of the present invention may be included in various lamps, a particularly useful application is made in housings that employ sealed-beam lamps. In particular, such housings permit easy installation and removal of such lamps.

When this type of bulb or lamp is used in a housing, there is a possibility where the fit is close, that heat expansion or contraction can cause sticking of the lamp itself within the housing. A more important property of this type of bulb is that it has a beam pattern which is generally rectangular in shape, and in use is sometimes positioned vertically, and other times the pattern is directed horizontally.

The present invention comtemplates the utilization of a housing that receives the bulb, the housing being rotatably supported by a support member, which in turn is carried by trunions. Further, clamp means are provided for this structure so that common means may be employed to release the housing for both pivoting and rotation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lamp support, wherein the lamp may .be rotated about its axis of illumination.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lamp support constructed so that sealed-beam lamps will not stick therein.

Yet another object of the present inventionlis to provide a lamp support wherein a lamp housing may be smoothly rotated about its axis of illumination.

A still further object of the instant invention is the provision in a lamp support ofclamp means operative to effect clamping of a rotatable housing within its support.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a lamp support constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line III-III of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of FIGURE 3.

As shown in the drawings:

The principles of this invention are particularly useful when embodied in a lamp support assembly such as illustrated in FIGURE 1, generally indicated by the numeral 10. The lamp support includes a housing 11, a support member 12, a base 13, and a clamp means generally indicated as 14. The base 13 may be supported on any convenient pin or stand (not shown) and locked thereto by a manual set screw 15.

More particularly, the disclosed housing is adapted to support bulbs known as Par 56 and Par 64 devices.

The housing 11 comprises sheet metal of conventional thickness, and has an internal configuration complementary to the illustrated external configuration. The housing 11 has three outwardly extending beads 1648 5 which define internally opening grooves complemental thereto. The housing also has a series of shoulders 19-21, which likewise define internal shoulders directed in the opposite direction. A diffusion filter, glass filter, Pyrex projector lens, or other accessory, generally indicated at 22 is received within the housing 11 and supq ported by the internal shoulder indicated at 19. A manually removable resilient wire clip 23 is received in the groove defined by the bead 16 to hold the accessory structure 22 within the housing.

A bulb such as a Par 56 or a Par 64 is disposed 7 within the housing behind the element 22 in engagement with the internal shoulder defined by the external shoulder 20. This bulb (not shown) is held in place by a second wire clip (not shown) received in the groove 20 defined by the bead 17, the second wire cli being constructed similarly to the wire clip 23.

The shoulders 20 and 21 are thus axially spaced and confront each other, and extend circularly and peripherally about the housing 11 to define a channel 24 25 therein. The bead 18 performs primarily a stiffening function and is located in the bottom of the channel 24 which of course opens radially outwardly.

Bulbs or lamps of the type identified above have a generally rectangular pattern of light which is directed 3O primarily to the left as shown in FIGURE 1, and primarily toward the viewer as shown in FIGURE 2. This direction is referred to herein as the illumination axis of the lamp housing, the same being represented by a chain line in FIGURE 1, which line is substantially concentric with the open end of the housing 11.

The support member 12 is best seen in FIGURES 1 and 3 and preferably, though not necessarily, comprises resilient material, such as aluminum or steel. If the material is non-resilient, resilience can be functionally provided thereto by the base 13 as explained hereafter. The normal or free shape or size of the support member 12 is such that the lamp housing 11, which is received therein, tends to expand the support member v12, whereby the support member 12 is resiliently biased against the housing 11. In this embodiment, the support member comprises a split ring which extends approximately 270 about the illumination axis. This precise extent is not critical, but, as will be apparent herein, it is necessary that the instant support member extend substantially over 180. The support member 12 has an inner surface 12a which is engageable directly or indirectly at three zones of engagement with the bottom of the channel 24 of the housing 11, intermediate the shoulders 20, 21. Preferably, spacing means 26-28 are provided on the inner surface 12a to define such zones of engagement and to preclude galling and to insure that the housing 11 may be rotated smoothly relative to the support member 12. Each of the spacing means or members 26-28 in this embodiment comprises a heat-insulative material such as asbestos, so that heat generated within the housing 11 by the lamp is not directly conducted to the support member 12. Thus, as the lamp heats up or cools off, expansion and contraction forces present will be originating primarily from the housing 11 and the bulb, and to a relatively minor extent from the associated structure such as the support member 12. Since the housing 11 is supported by the support member 12 at three places, in the manner illustrated, forces arising from the clamping means 114 will have a negligible distortion effect on the housing 11, whereby neither normal nor clamping forces induce sticking of the bulb within the housing 11. The bulb is supported at its periphery as described and is provided with a socket which is totally supported by the bulb, leads from the socket extending directly therefrom and emanating from the housing 11 through a grommet 29 disposed in an aperture 30- in the form of a cord 31.

The housing 11 is provided with a handle 32 having a bracket 33 secured by means 34 to the rear outer face of the housing 11. The handle is of conventional structure, and preferably comprises wood or other heatinsulated material which can be grasped by hand when the housing 11 is hot so that the housing 11 may be rotated within the support member 12 while in engage ment with the spacing means 2623, whereby the light pattern emanating from the housing may be rotated selectively.

The base 13 has a yoke portion which includes a pair of arms 35, 36 which respectively are provided with apertures 37, 38 aligned with each other in a common axis to define a pivotal axis extending transversely to the illumination axis. The support member 12 is disposed intermediate the arms 35, 36. Preferably, the yoke portion including the arms 35, 36 is resilient so that there is a slight bias toward the support member 12. Thus, the normal or free spacing between the distal ends of the arms 35, 36 is slightly less than that needed to accommodate the support member 12 and housing 11, whereby the arms 35, 36 are held slightly apart and are thus held positively in engagement with the outer surface of the support member 12 at all times. The resilience in the base 13 may be employed to augment or to supply the preferred resilience in the support member 12. The resilience in the support member 12 continually produces a slight rotational drag or friction between the housing 111 and support member 12, which is readily overcome at will. However, the resilience is sufiicient to prevent rotation of the housing within the support member so long as only light rotational forces areapplied. The resilience in the arms 35, 36 provides a drag or friction between the distal ends of the arms 35, 36 and the support member 12. This friction can be easily overcome at will, and provides a force which precludes pivoting of the support member and housing about the transverse pivotal axis until a sufficiently strong pivoting force is applied. The base 13 functions to pivotally carry or support the support member 12 for pivoting about said pivotal axis, and to this end receives means extending through the apertures 37, 38, such means being a part of the pivotal connection 14.

In this embodiment, there are two pivotal connections 14 employed. While each of the connections 14 employs the novel features presently to be described, it will be understood that the device will be operative where such novel provisions are included in but a single one of the pivotal connections. In this embodiment, the pivotal connections 14 actually have no angular restriction. Where, however, a relatively long housing 11 is employed as shown here, the forward or the rearward portion of the housing might strike the transverse or horizontal portion of the base 13, near the screw 15. In this embodiment, the closed end of the housing clears the bottom or bight of the frame or base =13 so that the handle 32 may be lowered to direct the illumination axis in an opposite direction.

Each pivotal connection 14 includes a threaded element or screw 39 which has a head end 40 disposed against the inner surface 12a of the support member 12. The support member 12 has a non-circular aperture 41 and adjacent to the head 40, the threaded element 39 has a complementary portion 42 received in the aperture 41 whereby relative rotation between the support member 12 and the threaded element 39 is precluded. The engagement of the head 40 with the inner surface 12a of the support member 12 permits the threaded element to be tensioned. The threaded portion thereof extends through the aperture 38, and threaded means such as a 4 hand nut 43 is received on the outer or free end of the threaded element 39 to draw the threaded element against the arm 36. A pair of washers 44, 45 receive a lock washer 46 therebetween on the threaded element 39 intermediate the threaded means 43 and the arm 36.

It is thus apparent that the threaded elements are tensionable, are not rotatable with respect to the support member 12, are pivotal about a common axis transverse to the illumination axis, and have a free end which extends radially outwardly of the housing.

posed at a point therein intermediate the spacing means 27, 28 and the corresponding threaded element of the other connection is disposed intermediate the spacing members 26 and 27. The spacing members 26 and 28 are located on opposite sides of the split in the support member 12, and with the split are located on one side of the pivotal axis, the spacer 27 being located on the opposite side of the pivotal axis.

As best seen in FIGURE 4, the arm 36 is either integrally or by means of a washer 50 adapted to provide a clamping surface 51 which is engageable at a P edge, or fulcrum with the outer surface of the s pp member 12. The surface 51 diverges outwardly from a line tangent to the support member 12 at the point f engagement. The point of engagement or edge is disposed primarily on one side of the pivotal axis to bias radially the adjacent engagement place or spacer 23 which also is adjacent to the split in the support member 12. Thus, at such edge or fulcrum, a force is concern trated at a place which is radially offset toward the split in the support member 12 when the device is positioned as shown in FIGURE 3, and is concentratedat a point radially offset toward the spacer 27 when the housing has been rotated about the pivotal axis for an angle of When the threaded means 43 is tightened, the surface 51 may be ultimately forced into substantially total engagement with the outer surface of the yieldable" support member 12. However, the force present is somewhat greater at the fulcrum and the force is correspondingly somewhat less diametrically opposite thereto. As shown in FIGURE 4, the head 40 may engage the inner surface of the support member 12 at only one edge 52 so that when the surface or fulcrum edge indicated at 51 is pressed against the outer surface of the support member 12, that part of the support member 12 which is so engaged by the fulcrum edge 51 will be forced in a radially inward direction. Thus, it can be seen that when the housing 11 is positioned as shown in FIGURE 3, such forcing causes a camming or levering of the free end of the support member 12 including the spacer 28 in a direction whereby the spacer 28 engages the housing 11 more tightly. If there were no appreciable initial tension, an engagement force would thus first be provided. If the housing were to be rotated for an angle of 180 from that shown and then tightened as described, such tightening would effect application of a radial force on the side of the support ring 12 which is directed toward the spacer 27, whereby the spacer 28 would be cammed radially outwardly, thereby cancelling or overcoming any initial drag caused by resilience. Thus, depending upon the positioning of the housing, tightening of the threaded member 43 not only increases the friction between the support ring and the arm to preclude pivoting, but also adds to the friction at the spacer 28 to preclude rotation about the pivotal axis, or also subtracts from the bias force to reduce or eliminate the drag about the illumination axis.

When the device is orientated as shown in FIGURE 3, the hand nut 43 being loose, there is a slight drag or resistance to pivoting about the pivotal axis, and a slight drag or resistance to rotation about the illumination axis. As the nut 43 is tightened, the lock washer 46 is compressed, and thereby the drag about these two axes is It will be noted that the aperture 41 in the support member 12 is disgradually simultaneously increased to a point where pivoting and rotation are precluded.

When the support member 12' and the housing 11 is inverted from the position shown in FIGURE 3, the threaded means 43 being loose, the mere inversion has negligible effect on the drag. However, as the means 43 are tightened, the drag about the pivotal axis increases as described before, but the drag about the rotational axis decreases. With a proper selection of preliminary drag, an intermediate position of the means 43 may be used as the locked position, so that when the means 43 is loosened from such intermediate position, tightening about the rotational axis or illumination axis increases simultaneously with a decrease in drag about the pivotal axis, while tightening of the means 43 from such intermediate position eflects further tightening of the clamp means about the pivotal axis and a loosening or freeing about the illumination axis.

It will be noted that lamp replacement, filter change, pivoting of the light beam, and rotation of the light pattern about the illumination axis may be made without the use of any hand tool whatever.

Although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A lamp support comprising in combination: a lamp housing having an illumination axis and a pair of axially spaced confronting shoulders each extending oircum ferentially about said housing to define an outwardly opening channel therebetween; a resilient spring-like support member comprising a unitary split ring disposed in and biased of itself toward the bottom of said channel intermediate said shoulders and extending peripherally about said housing for an extent substantially in excess of 180; asbestos spacing means secured to the inner surface of said spring-like support member and defining three housing engagement places in housing-supporting contact with the bottom of said channel and concealed therein; a pair of threaded elements carried by said support member respectively intermediate said engagement places and extending outwardly therefrom in opposite directions in a common axis transverse to the illumination axis; means integral with each of said threaded elements, disposed remotely from the threads thereof, and cooperating with said support member to effect corotative tensionable connections with said support member; a base having a twoarmed yoke portion with axially aligned apertures therein receiving said threaded element-s respectively, said yoke arms each having a clamping surface engaging said support member primarily at a fulcrum point oifset from said transverse axis toward said split; and manually actuatable threaded means on the free end of each of said elements for drawing said support member against the adjacent fulcrum point to selectively increase the bias on said spacing means to preclude rotation of said housing about the illumination axis, and to simultaneously preclude pivoting of said support member about the transverse axis.

2. A lamp support comprising in combination: a lamp housing having an illumination axis; a support member comprising a unitary split ring extending peripherally about said housing for an extent substantially in excess of 18-0, said support member having an inner surface including three distinct engagement zones engageable with said housing to receive and support said housing therein rotatably about its illumination axis; a base having a twoarmed yoke portion receiving said support member intermediate its arms; a pivotal connection between each arm of said yoke portion and said support member, said connection being pivotal about a single axis transverse to the illumination axis; two of said engagement zones and the split in said support member being on one side of said transverse axis, and the third engagement zone being on the opposite side of said transverse axis; said two of said engagement zones being on opposite sides of said split; at least one of said pivotal connections including clamp means operative to apply a clamping force between said yoke portion and said support member primarily on one side of said transverse axis in a manner to bias radially that adjacent engagement zone which is also adjacent to said split.

3. A lamp support comprising in combination: a lamp housing having an illumination axis; a spring-like support member comprising a unitary spring-like split ring extending peripherally about the exterior of said housing for an extent substantially in excess of said support member having an inner surface including three distinct engagement zones engageable with and resiliently biased of itself against said housing to receive and support said housing therein rotatably about its illumination axis; a base having a two armed yoke portion receiving said support member intermediate its arms; a pivotal connection between each arm of said yoke portion and said support member, said connection being pivotal for over 180 about a single axis transverse to the illumination axis; two of said engagement zones and the split in said support member being on one side of said transverse taxis, and the third engagement zone being on the opposite side of said transverse axis; said two of said engagement zones being on opposite sides of said split; one of said yoke arms being so constructed as to engage said support member in a direction parallel to said transverse axis with a force concentrated primarily at a point radially ofiset to one side from said transverse axis and to have less engagement force on the opposite side of said transverse axis, said force being additive to the inherent resilient bias of said spring-like support member against said housing to preclude rotation thereof about its illumination axis, and when said housing has been pivoted 180 about its transverse axis, said force offsetting the resilient bias of said spring-like support member against said housing to eliminate rotational drag therebetween about the illumination axis.

4. A lamp support comprising in combination: a lamp housing having an illumination axis; a spring-like support member comprising a unitary spring-like split ring extending peripherally about the exterior of said housing for an extent substantially in excess of 180, said support member having an inner surface including three distinct engagement zones engageable with said housing to receive and support said housing therein rotatably about its illumination axis; said support member normally providing a resilient bias through said zones and against said housing; a base having a two-armed yoke portion receiving said support member intermediate its arms; threaded clamp means extending through aligned apertures in each arm of said yoke portion and tensionably engaging said spring-like support member for selectively enabling and precluding pivoting of said housing about a single axis transverse to the illumination axis; two of said engagement zones and the split in said support member being on one side of said transverse axis, and the third engagement zone being on the opposite side of said transverse axis; two of said engagement zones 'being on opposite sides of said split; at least one of said yoke arms being so constructed as to have a clamping surface which engages said support member at a point offset in a direction from said transverse axis toward said split, and which diverges outwardly from a line tangent to said support member at said point, said clamping surface being operative at said point as a fulcrum in response to tightening of said threaded means to bias radially inward that adjacent engagement zone on said support member which is also adjacent to said split to alter the resilient bias against said housing.

5. A lamp support comprising in combination:

(a) a lamp housing having an illumination axis;

(b) a C-shaped support member having a continuous inner surface disposed adjacent to and extending peripherally about said housing for a distance somewhat in excess of 200, and embracing and supporting said housing for rotation about its illumination axis, said support member being adapted to be supported at two diametrically opposite points defining free ends extending therefrom;

(c) a U-shaped base pivotally carrying said C-shaped support member at said two diametrically opposite points and enabling selective positioning thereof about an axis transverse to said illumination axis;

(d) manually operative clamp means at one of said member being unaidedly biased of its own internal resilience against said housing at three spaced contact areas and supporting said housing for frictionally restrained rotation about its illumination axis, said support member being adapted to be supported at two diametrically opposite points respectively disposed between adjacent pairs of said contact areas; and

(c) a U-shaped base pivotally carrying saidsupport member within its U-shape at said two opposite points and enabling selective positioning thereof about an axis transverse to said illumination axis, the arms of said U-shape unaidedly acting compressively by their own internal resilience on said support member to create a frictional drag therewith to frictionally restrain pivoting of said housing about said transverse axis, and to augment the resilient bias of said C-shaped support member against said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS port member and said base to deflect the adjacent one 1,176,203 Comer Mar. 21, 1916 of sa1d free ends of sa1d support member radially of 1 783 874 Dryden 2 1930 said housing for varying the resistance to housing 25 1:906:460 Graham May 1933 rotation about the Q F Q aXls' 2,208,154 Daehler July 16, 1940 6. A lamp support comprising in combination: 2 220 220 c i 5 940 (a) a lamp housing having an illumination axis; 2, 39,909 Dazley Sept 21, 1954 (b) a C-shaped support member of spring material 2,727,137 Oharenko Dec. 13, 1955 having a continuous inner surface disposed adjacent 30 2,778,931 Cruz Jan. 22, 1957 to and extending peripherally about said housing for 2,894,693 Howarth July 14, 1959 a distance somewhat in excess of 200", said support 2,979,604 Rosenblatt Apr. 11, 1961 

5. A LAMP SUPPORT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A LAMP HOUSING HAVING AN ILLUMINATION AXIS; (B) A C-SHAPED SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A CONTINUOUS INNER SURFACE DISPOSED ADJACENT TO AND EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY ABOUT SAID HOUSING FOR A DISTANCE SOMEWHAT IN EXCESS OF 200*, AND EMBRACING AND SUPPORTING SAID HOUSING FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS ILLUMINATION AXIS, SAID SUPPORT MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED AT TWO DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE POINTS DEFINING FREE ENDS EXTENDING THEREFROM; (C) A U-SHAPED BASE PIVOTALLY CARRYING SAID C-SHAPED SUPPORT MEMBER AT SAID TWO DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE POINTS AND ENABLING SELECTIVE POSITIONING THEREOF ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO SAID ILLUMINATION AXIS; (D) MANUALLY OPERATIVE CLAMP MEANS AT ONE OF SAID POINTS AND DISPOSED CONCENTRICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID TRANSVERSE AXIS, SAID CLAMP MEANS INCLUDING A BEARING ABUTMENT ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID C-SHAPED SUPPORT MEMBER AT A LEVERING POINT ECCENTRIC TO SAID TRANSVERSE AXIS, SAID CLAMP MEANS BEING OPERATIVE TO DRAW SAID C-SHAPED SUPPORT MEMBER AND SAID USHAPED BASE TOGETHER AT SAID ONE POINT TO DETER ROTATION OF SAID HOUSING ABOUT SAID TRANSVERSE AXIS, AND SAID BEARING ABUTMENT BEING OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENTS TOGETHER AND APART OF SAID C-SHAPED SUPPORT MEMBER AND SAID BASE TO DEFLECT THE ADJACENT ONE OF SAID FREE ENDS OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER RADIALLY OF SAID HOUSING FOR VARYING THE RESISTANCE TO HOUSING ROTATION ABOUT THE ILLUMINATION AXIS. 